Coastal bathing waters generally outperform inland waters.

The 2025 EEA assessment shows a clear difference between coastal and inland bathing waters, but the pattern should be used as context rather than a prediction for an individual beach, lake or river.

~88%

Coastal Excellent

Around 88% of EU coastal bathing waters were classified Excellent in 2025.

~78%

Inland Excellent

Around 78% of EU inland bathing waters were classified Excellent.

47%

River Excellent

Only 47% of roughly 1,200 designated river bathing sites across the full reporting area achieved Excellent quality in 2025.

Why inland waters can be more variable

Many lakes, ponds and low-flow rivers are more sensitive to short-term pollution linked to heavy rainfall or drought. Coastal waters can also experience temporary problems, so the annual class still needs to be combined with current local information.

Use the finder by water type

You can filter the official dataset for Coastal, Inland, Lake or River records and then open individual pages to see classification history and the official source link.

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